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Our take on the Cambridge Audio DacMagic 100
by Crutchfield's Dave Bar

Whether it's a CD player, computer, digital music streamer, or set-top box, here's a fantastic way to improve the sound quality coming from any of these digital sources. Simply plug the DacMagic 100 digital-to-analog converter in between your source's digital audio output and your receiver, amp, or powered speakers. You'll instantly hear greater detail and clarity, plus a real sense of scale and drama. This versatile little DAC will bypass the one inside your PC or audio component, and magically transform those cold hard zeroes and ones into warm, organic sound.

Add a little magic to your music

Whether it's a CD player, computer, digital music streamer, or set-top box, here's a fantastic way to improve the sound quality coming from any of these digital sources. Simply plug the DacMagic 100 digital-to-analog converter in between your source's digital audio output and your receiver, amp, or powered speakers. You'll instantly hear greater detail and clarity, plus a real sense of scale and drama. This versatile little DAC will bypass the one inside your PC or audio component, and magically transform those cold hard zeroes and ones into warm, organic sound.

There's magic on the inside

The DacMagic 100 comes packed with high-tech engineering designed to extract better sound from all your digital sources. Its latest-generation Wolfson DAC provides superb resolution that really brings out the fine details in your tunes, for a truly breathtaking listening experience.

Asynchronous USB means better sound from your computer

Standard USB outputs from most computers pose a serious limitation to sound quality. That's because while you're trying to listen to music, your PC is busy performing virus scans, data backup, and other background tasks that may take priority over your tunes, causing it to alter the data rate to suit its own needs. Unfortunately, this situation results in timing errors within the digital data stream — known as "jitter" — that adversely affects sound quality. Jitter can make your music sound harsh and edgy, and smear subtle details.

The DacMagic 100 solves this problem by reaching out to your computer through the USB interface, and instructing it to relinquish control of the data stream timing. In its place, this advanced DAC inserts its own separate, or asynchronous, clock to precisely control the timing of the data rate, reducing jitter to the vanishing point. You'll hear a stunning improvement in low-level ambient detail along with a wider, deeper soundstage.

Enjoy full-resolution USB audio

Along with all the sonic benefits the DacMagic 100 provides for your compressed and CD-quality music files, it also has another trick up its sleeve — it decodes high-resolution data streams with up to 24-bit/192kHz resolution through its USB connection, so you can enjoy better-than-CD audio quality. (Free USB driver download required for Windows® PCs.) If you download high-res music files from HDtracks and other audiophile sources, this DAC will ensure that you hear them in all their glory.

Plenty of connections for your gear

two coaxial digital inputs: ideal for connecting a CD or DVD player, Logitech Squeezebox™ Touch, Sonos® Connect, or any other digital audio component with coax out, and taking advantage of the DacMagic 100's high-performance processor for better sound.

one optical digital input: ready to take on a set-top box, most HDTVs, a game console, or other digital audio sources with optical digital output, and feed a high-quality audio signal into your stereo system.

Night and day difference

I've been using the DACs in my A/V receiver and Blu-Ray player. The audio and video from my Roku and Blu-Ray seemed fine. Thought an external DAC was worth a shot. The DacMagic 100 got rid of the bass muddiness and separated the instruments. Streaming audio now has a full soundstage.

Pros:Ease of setup
Multiple digital inputs

Cons:No remote

0 of 0 found this helpful

Dacmagic 100

Wasn't expecting a night and day difference and didn't get it. What I did get was a cleaner sound and an apparent volume boost from what was output straight from the laptop. By "cleaner" I mean a bit more definition/separation to the sounds being played back.

Pros:cleaned up sound, apparent volume boost

Cons:none

0 of 0 found this helpful

Cambridge Audio DacMagic 100

I received this quickly from Crutchfield. I read the little bit of instructions that came with it. I turned off my Dell OptiPlex small form factor 780, which is running WIndows 7, 32/64-bit. I plugged the Dacmagic100 into one of the Dell's USB outlets, turned on the Dacmagic100, and then turned the Dell back on. The Dacmagic100 went to work right away. I didn't have to do a thing. My Dell must have a pretty system for music, because my music already sounded good, but it sounds a bit cleaner and smoother to me with the Dacmagic100. I am getting older, but my ears can still appreciate the difference. I am happy. 5 stars.

Pros:

Cons:

0 of 0 found this helpful

Amazing Gadget

I have an Onkyo av receiver that is almost 14 years old. I have Aon 3 speakers that needed a better digital signal to divide the instruments so they could be heard clearly and apart from one another.After reading alot about dacs i decided on this product and it did the trick.

Cambridge Audio DAC Magic 100 - Basic, but high quality

I purchased the Cambridge Audio DacMagic 100, a relatively inexpensive, but decent quality Digital to Analog Converter (DAC), for the purpose of sending the audio signal from my newer SUHD 4K TV to my stereo amplifier so the sound would pass through my stereo speakers. The TV, a Samsung model, had only HDMI output to its standard control box, which has hdmi and tos link/optical cable outputs. Using an AudioQuest TOS LINK/OPTICAL OUTPUT cable, also sourced from Crutchfield, I was able to go from the TV control box to the new DAC (has TOS/LINK input) and then using standard RCA type cable, output to my Stereo amplifier. This works well, allowing me to get improved sound using my hifi system. The DAC Magic 100 is very basic, so if you need a connection for headphones, you should look for more expensive, feature-rich models. While TV broadcast sound is only at 44K, the DAC MAGIC 100 does have the capability to go higher, should you buy a surround system for you TV and decide to use the DAC MAGIC to convert digital signals from another source. It's a good compromise that fit my specific need quite well. It's small, attractive, has an ON/Standby button and blue light, and does the job for me. Recommended at the price. As is typical of Crutchfield. the DAC and the Optical cable were packed together in a second box, which helps to ensure that your gear arrives safely.

Nice upgrade for PC soundcard.

Plug and play--worked first time using aftermarket USB cable (the included USB cable is not very long). The front panel incoming sample rate light does not switch sample rates depending upon the format being played, but stays lit at the maximum (default) rate. Plays native 96K files (highest I own) as well as 16/44 CD. No problems with FLAC encoded files, lower sampled mp3, or regular Internet audio feeds. My hookup configuration is PC --> USB cable --> DACMagic 100 --> Pro-Ject HeadboxS --> Presonus ERIS 4.5 powered speakers. I did not try S/PDIFor Toslink inputs. Build quality seems high for this price point. Over all, I believe this to be good value.
UPDATED: 7/16/18: I wrote that the DacMagic was "plug and play". That is only partially correct. For a Windows PC, it will only resolve 96K signals using the standard Win driver. In order to use the device at 192K, and take advantage of unmodified bitstream playback, do the following steps:
1) Download the 4.40 driver from CA Website.
2) Place the DAC in USB Class 2 mode. If the device is not in USB Class 2 mode during the install, the DAC may not recognize the driver. The default is USB Class 1 mode, so make sure and switch modes before driver installation.
3) Install the driver
4) At this point, configure Windows to bypass its internal digital playback software, sending your digits directly to the DAC. This is done (Win 10) by going to the Control Panel and changing your Default Format to 24 bit 192000Hz Studio Quality. Go to the Sound section of Settings, making sure the 'output device' shows USB Audio. Then, click on Device Properties, and go to the Advanced tab. Change the setting to 24 bit 192K. Also, click on the two "exclusive mode" boxes at the bottom.
5) Finally, you must use a media player that supports WASAPI (Windows Audio Session API). Go into your music player settings and configure it to WASAPI, and make sure USB is the output device. Doing this bypasses Windows' system kernel mixer and resampling stages.
Then your DAC will accept a pure, unmodified bitstream. It will also show the actual sample rate of whatever signal it is receiving on its front panel (and also in the system tray app). The downside is that moving to another PC audio stream (such as a browser) requires you to shut down your music player, since WASAPI has given exclusive rights to the previous stream. Accordingly, after an Internet session, you may have to shut down your browser and reopen your music player in order to listen to your music files.
This is all explained in Web support docs, but the docs are not clear. The problem is not with the DAC, but with the way Windows works. I understand that with a MAC you don't have to go through all this for native 192 signals.
My impression is that with the new driver and the direct bitstream into the DAC, the sound is clearer and cleaner than whatever Windows natively sends to the DAC.

Pros:Simple to set up. Very clear sound.

Cons:Front panel incoming sample rate light was a little confusing until I realized how the DAC is programmed to work.

Perfect Solution

I was looking for a solution to connect a TV with an optical (only!) audio output, to my NAD preamp.
This was the perfect module. That's all I use it for. The sound is much better than I expected. Solid, and a great value.
Definitely, don't skimp for anything less!!

Pros:Sound, cost and ease of use. Small and solid.

Cons:Zero

0 of 0 found this helpful

Seems to do the job

Works as advertised. Instructions/manual pretty skimpy and vague. Cable that came with it was useless for iPod Touch, had to order a cable separately and wait for it to come in before was able to hook it up.

Pros:not as expensive as some

Cons:documentation was on the skimpy side

0 of 0 found this helpful

Cambridge Audio DacMagic 100

The DacMagic 100 greatly improved the quality of sound when streaming.
I have it hooked up to a Cambridge receiver and a MacBook.
Music is cleaner, crisper, and more detailed.
If you stream music a Dac is a must and at this price
you can't do better.

Cambridge Audio DacMagic 100

I have one internal DAC inside my Tascam CD recorder and one internal DAC inside my Tascam SD/CFC recorder. The DAC in my Tascam SD/CFC recorder is OK. The DAC in my Tascam CD recorder is good. The external Cambridge Audio DacMagic 100 is very good. I connected my two Tascam units to my new Cambridge Audio DacMagic 100 and now listen to my music only through my DacMagic 100. My research told me that the price/performance of my new Cambridge Audio DacMagic 100 is perfect for me.

Great addition to my system

I decided to use an old laptop as a dedicated 2 channel audio player. I burned all of my CDs in lossless format, but still was not satisfied with the sound. After some research, added the Dacmagic 100 to the system. The device was for the most part plug and play.
Right out of the box it really improved the sound. Overall much cleaner.
However, after some monkeying around with the laptop set-up (due to Microsoft/Win 10 and the fact that the laptop is a little old) I achieved a significantly better sound: much improved mid-range and upper end clarity. Note that I am not a computer geek, just a regular user. I would imagine if you are going this route with a newer laptop or PC it would be pretty easy.
A DAC from the manufacturer of my amps I doubt would have provided a much better experience.
My system includes: 1550 pre-amp, two 1070 power amps, B&W 705, B&W ASW 400, Denon CD player, various turntables. This is a good system to begin with and the Dacmagic was an improvement.

Easy Setup, good results

Very easy to set up. It made a big difference when playing music from my cheap laptop through my Onkyo receiver. The native USB 2.0 worked automatically with no need to download and configure a driver.

Pros:Easy Set up

Cons:Pricey

1 of 1 found this helpful

Cambridge Audio DacMagic 100

It's on it's way back! I called to be educated on DACs! Spoke to your rep, told him I wanted to use it with my IPhone, to listen to Pandora. He said it would work great, with that application. It WON'T work that way!!! He should of known that.

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1 of 27 found this helpful

Cambridge Audio DAC Magic 100

I wanted a dac so I can listen to Pandora radio and listen to I heart radio and also listen to music files without the need to purchase a new preamp. This little dac fits the bill because I didn't need a headphone amp because I have a separate headphone and. Owned it for two weeks now, was giving it time to break in with a new usb cable and I must say it has been a big improvement.

Pros:Easy setup.

Cons:

0 of 0 found this helpful

Cambridge Audio DacMagic 100

The Cambridge Audio DacMagic 100 is just what I was looking for. I'm now able to send a strong signal down a 100" line to my main house speaker system. This helps in hearing how my recording really sounds, going through a pair of Rectilinear III High Boy speakers. I have a set of AWA speakers wired in parallel. I wasn't able to get a good replay on either headphones or with a sound bar. No problem now.

Pros:Sets up pretty easily, after carefully reading directions.

Cons:After installing, there was a bit of work to do, working with the Windows Sound dialog, as there are a lot of choices to make, to get the signal routed correctly.

Good, simple DAC

Simple DAC, pleasant sound, fixed output, no headphone port, good tonal balance.
I purchased this and the Audioengine D1. The DacMagic has a more balanced sound (the D1 is bass heavy) and inspires more involvement with the music. Well worth the extra money.

Pros:Well balanced sound.
Simple.
Relatively inexpensive.

Cons:

1 of 1 found this helpful

Strong Value in an Asynchronous DAC

In my humble opinion, the Cambridge Audio DacMagic 100 is one of the best high-value DAC's on the market today. It's solidly built and it sounds great. A front-panel USB input and a basic remote control would have been nice, but maybe that's too much to ask in this price range, without giving up some of the other goodies. After all, it does give you coaxial (2), asynchronous USB, and optical digital inputs. The auto-off function is nice, but it would have been nice if it would come on automatically, too, since as I said, there's no remote. So, while it may not give you everything you want, it just may give you everything you need. It looks nice, too!

Pros:Solid, quality construction with high quality parts
Great sound

Cons:no front-panel USB
no auto-on or RC

6 of 7 found this helpful

Cambridge Audio DacMagic 100-BK

I bought this dac to improve the sound of some older disk player, a smart TV and a laptop. I noticed a real improvement in clarity, bringing more information such as, hearing more from the recording, maybe a cymbal, crowd noise if live. Well worth the price, especially with Crutchfield's return policy and free shipping. Very happy! Get one!

Pros:

Cons:

2 of 2 found this helpful

Nice Product

The Cambridge Magic DAC 100 is a good DAC. It was simple to setup and use. However, I decided I wanted to add High Resolution Audio (DSD), so I returned the Magic DAC 100 for another product. I'm glad I made that decision and Crutchfield generous return policy allowed me to do that.

Cambridge Audio DacMagic 100

This is an excellent DAC, and a great value at the price. I use it with a Cambridge Audio CXC CD transport, it has absolutely breathed new life into my CD collection. I also use it with a Sonus Connect, which also has analog outputs, compared the analog output with the digital output with the DacMagic, the difference was like night and day! Highly recommend the DacMagic 100 for any level system, including high-end

Great Fidelity, Big Difference

Great device. Usually using headphone out jacks to play audio through a high system is a poor choice as they are not designed for that. This device allows direct access thru USB to the high fidelity of your sound card making a BIG difference! I use it in my recording studio.

Pros:Easy hook up and easy to use

Cons:none

5 of 6 found this helpful

Small but powerful

I was a little skeptical about purchasing a DAC, but this is one of the cheaper ones for my amplifier so I decided to pull the trigger. Although I did not have the highest hopes, I noticed that the DAC does make a positive, noticeable difference. It switched from "Aux" to the DAC for an A/B test and the DAC seems to be more smooth and clear. I have a Yamaha A-S2000 amplifier and Klipsch RP-280F Speakers. Even an (inexpensive?) DAC on this high end equipment really makes the music more enjoyable for me. I do not regret my purchase, and I believe that over time this will be worth the money.

Awesome!

Anthony from Willis, MI on 1/19/2016

I love this thing! I am using the JRiver media center to play music files on my computer and I couldn't be happier with the sound. Most of my music is ripped from CDs which sounds better than any CD player I have ever heard. The first time I heard high-res music I almost cried! I purchased Tori Amos' latest release, Unrepentent Geraldines from HD Tracks and the sound of the music, her voice it defies belief! My system: Laptop with JRiver media center connected via USB to Cambridge Audio DacMagic 100 to a Marantz SR7500 to a pair of Klipsch RB51II's and a big Klipsch sub. Sure you could spend more on a system but this fits my budget and I couldn't be happier.

Cambridge Audio DacMagic 100

This is my first DAC and compliments some vintage Mitsubishi pre/power amps and a set of KEF R500s. Listening to 24-bit FLACs is quite a treat with this setup. While I realize there are better/higher priced DACs, I was blown away by the sound the little Cambridge puts out. Works great as a switching device between my Apple TV for AirPlay and my MacBook via USB.

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0 of 0 found this helpful

Worked as advertised

Cambridge has a good reputation in the audio industry and the DacMagic is a worthy member of that line. I needed a way to monitor audio sample rates (and the audio) coming from a HiFiBerry Digi+ sound card mounted to a Raspberry Pi, and the DacMagic worked perfectly for the task. The sample rate LEDs are a fine confidence indicator showing the decoded sample rates and the DacMagic switched seamlessly between different sampling rates without glitch.

Good DAC for price

Great DAC for someone looking to boost their rig. First dac i have bought and glad that i chose to splurge a bit, because it really brings out the life of the music almost like listening to a well recorded vinyl track.

Pros:Hooks Up Well To Macbook
Sounds Great
Simple Design
Looks Good on Shelf

Cons:Need additional cord for Iphone.

0 of 0 found this helpful

Great results

Tom A from New York on 5/29/2015

Very easy to setup. I plugged it into a laptop running Linux Mint and it just works. The sound quality is magnitudes better than without it.

Pros:Easy setup, looks good, sound is fantastic

Cons:None

0 of 1 found this helpful

Great DAC That Won't Break The Bank

Purchased this DAC to bypass onboard DAC in a Mac Pro - output to Yamaha RX-V1065 and Def Tech ProCinema 1000 (supercube sub and 2000 series center channel). Hi-res audio has a broader "soundstage" experience - audio is warm, crisp, and clear. A great sounding entry level DAC for those looking to upgrade from standard computer hardware/software. The difference is very noticeable, however less with yesteryear's compressed (MP3/4) formats.. obviously. Tested this unit with 16/44.1, 24/96, and 24/192 (AIFF) and all sound great. Highly recommend HDTracks for audio downloads. And as always, Crutchfield is my source for audio.. service goes above and beyond most competing brands.

Meh

Hooked it up via USB to my preamp to play HD files (24/96) from iTunes and was immediately disappointed. It took away the sparkle and depth from not only those files but all my digital music and was successful only in muddying the vocals. Called tech support and the tech thought the first unit was defective - he wasn't all that familiar with the product - and sent another yet the results were the same. Finally did a head to head comparison of the iTunes file with a 40 year old LP of the same song and the vinyl won hands down. Disappointing but not terminal; I'll keep looking for a better product. I contacted Cambridge tech support on my own and they weren't of much help either.

Pros:Easy to hook up

Cons:Muddy vocals and very bland overall sound

4 of 16 found this helpful

DAC Magic True to its name.

We use this little product on the TV, computer, blue ray and cd player. It is easy to set up and has greatly improved our listening experience. By hooking it up to the digital out put of the cable box movie soundtracks and voices are much fuller and detailed. Even my Cambridge audio CD player sounds better. This is a product that provides real enjoyment for the price. Plus when I upgrade my NAD amp it will work on any amp I choose, analog or digital. Worth the bucks even on entry level equipment!

Pros:Small size and easy to set up. Great sound and multiple inputs for the average user.

Cons:None

0 of 0 found this helpful

Cambridge Audio DAC 100

Although the Cambridge Audio DAC 100 has great functionality, I personally use mine exclusively to play my I Tunes collection from my laptop to the home receiver. I hooked up the DAC via optical cable from my external sound card then RCA to the receiver. Once I made a few adjustments within the I Tunes equalizer the sound was remarkably improved. It is well known that I Tunes does not have the highest quality downloads but the Cambridge Audio DAC 100 certainly makes up for this. This DAC was easy to hook up and was working in no time. I can not think of any concerns and would recommend this DAC to anyone wanting to greatly improve their sound at a reasonable price.

Superb Sound!

I loved the sound quality emanating from this DAC so much that I bought a second one for another system. I run it from lossless CD files imported to iTunes library on my iMac. I do prefer the sound I get from the mini-toslink output of the iMac, rather than the USB output, to the DacMagic. For the money, it really doesn't get better than this. I've done a lot of very critical listening and everything from voices to bass and triangles, sax, piano, etc. is very life- like. The sound is going to be limited only by the associated equipment, not this DAC. A true test is whether one still loves a piece of equipment after a year or more. I've had my first for about two years and I wouldn't trade this DAC for any near its price.

Pros:Sound quality
Price
Minimalist- All I need. I pay nothing for things I really don't need (such as a remote control.)

Cons:Not a thing

5 of 5 found this helpful

First DAC doubts Blown Away

Four other Cambridge products have added a tremendous amount of clarity and presence in my music. Made my audio out from my MacBook Pro Retina sound kind of crappy. Using a USB connection from MacBook to DacMagic and then to my amp. Dac does all the work and music truly sounds beautiful. Notice it most on audio with lots of dynamic range - quiet moments to louder. There is literally no noise and the music that comes through is much crisper. Listen to 70s, 80s, bluegrass, classic, electronic and older vinyl rock - kind of all over the place. No regrets in fact kind of irritated as now I am wondering if another DACMagic between my Apple TV and cambridge AZUR 641r would be a good idea.

Pros:All of it

Cons:None

4 of 4 found this helpful

DacMagic 100

Well, this unit sounds great, I have it feeding a Adcom Preamp going to a Carver M1.5t and connected by USB to a highly modified copy of Windows XP, my computer now sounds like a VERY high end Reel to Reel without any of the background noise, only complaint is the Windows plug and play drivers would not work with this unit "all audio wound play for a few seconds and then freeze" but this could had been due to the modified OS that I run anyhow I just installed the driver they provided on their website and all was well after bypassing the windows driver. Great product PS: go into your bios and disable on board sound

Pros:Great Sound, what more can you ask

Cons:They need to explain how to stop the auto install of windows drivers when you are using the provided driver, the windows driver install will have to be disable before you can install the provided driver

2 of 2 found this helpful

Great sound

Overall a great product. The most important item is the improvement in sound to my compressed music files. So my huge iTunes library is now worth listening to on something other than my earbuds.I have a Pioneer Elite CD player that has a decent internal DAC, so the sound improvement is minimal for my CD collection, subtle, and highly dependent on the CD. Ware as the iTunes files every last one of them has improvement, no matter how bad the original recording. And then being able to have a Mac Mini hooked up via the USB for hi resolution downloads is a great added bonus. If it had a remote I would give it a five star rating.

Pros:Flexible setup, quality, makes my iTunes streaming though my iTV sound almost as good as my CD's, better in some ways. Gives the music a more open sound than the CD's and definitely adds some needed warmth to the highly compressed songs. Was blown away with the improvement in bass, tightness of things like the attack of a drumstick on the snare, and airiness of vocals. And that terrible digital sounding MP3 that made me not want to listen to music on my high end system is gone.

Cons:Would be nice to have a remote to turn on and off. As it is now I have it set to always be on. Also changing the inputs via remote would be a nice feature. With it in a cabinet with no lighting it is hard to see which input I'm selecting. So even manual switching of inputs is more of push the button until I hear the sound. :-)

Magic Dac

First piece of audio equipment I have sent back. Replaced a Yamaha CDS300 that played digital files from a thumb drive. Liked the playing of my music right from my laptop. My system has four speakers and a sub (Martin Logan Motion 12's, NHT Classic Two's, NHT Sub, NAD 356BEE Amp) in a large basement barroom. The sound was LOUD (playing this DAC at the same sound level as the Yamaha DAC) was overwhelmingly boomy and, thus, not real tight. Also, the Yamaha had better response in high frequency levels. May just be that this DAC is not system specific for me where it may be for most others. I can see how if you had a smaller room and wanted heavier bass response from bookshelfs and generally play music at softer levels..I can see how this DAC would be a good fit. Honestly, years ago I used an vintage AMP that had a LOUDNESS button and when I replaced it with the NAD (which does not have a loudness button) I kinda missed it! So this DAC sounds good at lower levels albeit void of high imaging or floating of music. I wished it would have worked but you know how LOUDER is ALWAYS better? Not in this DAC's case...or not in a big room with equipment that wants a lot of power. This DAC is a loudness button! You always turned off the loudness button when you turned the music up!

Pros:Great package/size. Liked the blue lights/levels of music playback. Cool looking. Sounds good at low volume levels and can probably make a lower end system sound a lot better by adding bass response.

Cons:Turning it up in a larger room created a lot of boom and limits the power one can provide to speakers that want the power. The real benchmark here in comparison was my pro-ject turntable with pro-ject S phono box. This DAC sounded inferior in all facets of music, highs, mids, lows. But to be fair, vinyl is hard to beat (I only use the entry level Pro-ject stuff). Still, the Yamaha sounded better on my equipment (burr brown) but maybe not at low sound levels.

DAT's Magic!

Combined with a sweet pair of Totem speakers and an Outlaw RR2150 Receiver, the Cambridge Audio DacMagic 100 gives a totally new life to both my CD's and my audio files. Sounds amazing. Can't recommend it enough!

Cambridge Audio DacMagic 100

Dac magic is everything i was looking for. i was able to plug in my mac to my old stereo with just a couple connections and instantly have access to all my ripped cd collection. i also think the sound quality is fantastic,it may even be better than when i listen to just cds thru the stereo

Cambridge Audio DacMagic 100

It wasnt until Crutchfield rep Shane clued me, a digital to analog audio solution was even available to provide input from different audio sources (dvd, cable box, etc.) to fix my problem of wanting an old school RCA input to my wireless Sennheiser headphones for 'quiet time' in the house, when no one else wants to hear the tv. This fit the bill most excellent, and notwithstanding the pricey solution, the unit is solid, sleek, and does the job perfectly.

Pros:I little expensive what what I needed, but am VERY happy with the quality, and the solution.

Cons:None

1 of 2 found this helpful

Have your digital audio files come alive

This DAC is a little power house! Of course you can spend a lot more money on a more expensive DAC, but if you want to open up the soundstage of your digital audio files, or you're interested in putting those AAC files through a quality amp and speakers, this little DAC does wonders. Great depth and richness of sound from the Wolfson DAC inside. TOSHLINK ensures excellent transfer. Well-made.

Pros:Excellent price point. Great sound for such a little unit.

Cons:Wish it had a real on-off switch instead of just a standby. When there are power-outages, I'd like to be able to really shut it down (without having to turn off the entire power-surge protector).

6 of 6 found this helpful

Really IMproved My Sound Quality

I was pleasantly surprised when I hooked this up that it made such a significant improvement in the sound quality of my music. I have ripped my cd collection to mp3 and am playing it on a Dell Latitude tablet using J River Media Center. The DAC made a surprising difference, even with the mp3s. I want to really express my thanks to the Crutchfield team. They called me after my order to make sure this was what I needed, and provided advice to rip to Flac instead of mp3, then let J River convert to mp3 for my mobile device. Flac is lossless, where mp3 is lossy. Also said to rip at higher bit rate if disk space is not an issue. Overall the DAC was a good decision, and the service and support from Crutchfield is, as always, fantastic. Recommend this to similarly configured users.

Pros:Better Sound Quality, easy to hook up

Cons:None really, unless it were free!

7 of 9 found this helpful

Lovely Sound, open and fresh

I purchased the DACMagic 100 as a transfer device to move my audio collection from my computer to my home audio system; its sound quality improvement potential was secondary, I thought, as my system -without boring you with a component list- is pretty good. However, I haven't gotten that far yet, and so this review deals with the unexpected improvement in sound quality I've discovered. There's always the danger with hi-end audio of hearing what you want to believe, and I've only been listening thought the DACMagic 100 for a few hours at this point, but so far I'm very impressed. The sound is open and pure, and never harsh, as sometimes happens with digital sound. I'm running my CD player, via the Toslink Optical cable. It's impressive High notes round off smoothly and never 'snap'. Bass response is smooth way down. However the most notable point is how the DAC opens up the sound stage and gives placement to the individual instruments. You'll find that sound quality becomes more 'volume independent - you won't need volume to bring out the detail in the sound. In short, this device's better converter helps digitally recorded music come closer to it's potential. You won't get higher highs or lower lows, per se, If you are just using this to get sound out of your computer and into your Pre-Amp there are probably cheaper solutions that 'will do'. However, if you actually close your eyes and listen to your music, this is worth the money.

Pros:Easy to hook up, and sounds great. Will give me high fidelity access to my hundreds of recordings that are stored on my computer, but actually improves the sound of my CD player.

Cons:It's a small box that won't stack with your audio components and it adds yet another 'wall wart' to your collection of things that run off DC but plug into AC. It apparently turns itself off after some period of activity, which is good I guess, but another button to push every time you want to use it. Doesn't include any cables or connectors, so purchase a TosLink Cable while you're at it.

14 of 14 found this helpful

Review for the Cambridge Audio DacMagic 100

I gave this product 5 starts because it did everything it was said to do. I heard a difference immediately when I plug'd it in. It was easy to install and it gave me multiple options to connect my digital music to it. I used the recent Beatles Re Master loaded in my itunes as ALAC - and the sound was almost as good as my OMR Vinyls. They were 100% better than playing direct without the DAC. I don't know how this DAC compares to the more expensive DAC's, but this seems to work 100% better than without and for the money - it's perfect.

Pros:Price, lightweight and easy to install.

Cons:Doesn't support an Ipod through the old iPOD stand, but I get why it's not PCM.

5 of 5 found this helpful

DacMagic 100

Wow! I never new music could sound so good. I've been listening to music for over 40 years and thought CD's and music downloads sounded pretty good. How wrong I was. I listen mostly through my computer using a Bose Companion 5 speaker system which sounds great. I hooked up the DacMagic 100 and boy was I surprised. The volume increased and the highs were phenomenal. I heard pianos, violins and other instruments in the background that I didn't know existed. Great addition to my music library.

Pros:Nice unit and well constructed

Cons:A little pricey but well worth it.

5 of 7 found this helpful

Cambridge Audio DacMagic 100

The Cambridge Audio DacMagic 100 gets my 5-star rating because it exceeds my expectations. It mildly improves the CD sound played by my NAD T557 BluRay player, which already sounds great. But the real thrill is the quality I now hear from my Apple TV 2nd gen and my old Yamaha 5-disc CD changer. The improvement in sound is akin to putting your sunglasses back on after removing smudges from both lenses. Nifty little package, too.

Controls

Standby/On: The Cambridge Audio Azur DacMagic 100's front-panel
Standby/On button turns the unit On or Off. When in Standby (Off) mode,
the unit draws less than 1-watt.

Source Button: The Cambridge Audio DacMagic 100 features a front-panel
Source button. You can press this button to cycle through the DAC's four inputs
- USB (type-B), Toslink (optical), S/P-DIF 1 (coaxial), and S/P-DIF (coaxial).
The corresponding LED will light up to show which source you have selected.

Incoming Sample Rate LEDs: In the presence of an incoming digital
stream, the relevant LED will light up to indicate the incoming digital sampling
frequency (44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 192 kHz). For 32kHz material, the DacMagic 100
will still operate, but no LED will be lit.

Ground/Lift Switch: The DacMagic 100 features a rear-panel Ground/Lift
switch. When Grounded, the DacMagic 100 is connected to the earth connection of
the PC directly. When Lifted the ground connection is made via a network
designed to break any hum loops that may be caused by the source equipment. The
Grounded setting is recommended, unless audible hum is experienced.

Connections

USB Port: A rear-panel 24-bit/192kHz USB (type-B) port
enables the DacMagic 100 to be connected to your Windows PC or Mac computer. The DacMagic 100 will act as a very high-quality DAC/sound-card with very low
jitter for your computer, offering genuine Hi-Fi-quality playback from your
stored music and Internet radio. The DacMagic 100 is both USB 2.0 (Hi-Speed)
and USB 1.1 (Full-speed) USB port compatible. It will also work with the new USB
3.0 ports where the PC will simply treat the DacMagic 100 as if it were a USB
2.0 or 1.1 device. The DacMagic 100 also supports two USB Audio protocols (not
the same as the port types themselves) USB Audio 1.0 (which works over USB 1.1
ports and supports up to 24-bit/96kHz) or USB Audio 2.0 (which requires a USB
2.0 port and can support up to 24-bit/192kHz).

PC Compatible: With the DacMagic 100 switched to USB
Audio 1.0 (this is the default setting), the DacMagic 100 will work with
the native Windows XP, Vista or 7 Audio 1.0 driver (no need to load any new
driver) and accept audio up to 24-bit/96kHz. With the DacMagic 100 switched
to USB Audio 2.0, the DacMagic 100 needs the Cambridge Audio USB Audio 2.0
Driver to be loaded and can then accept up to 24-bit/192kHz (and support
ASIO and WASAPI Exclusive if required).

Mac Compatible: No extra drivers are required to
connect your Mac computer. With the DacMagic 100 switched to USB Audio
1.1, the DacMagic 100 will work with the native Mac OS-X 10.5 (Leopard) or
above Audio 1.0 driver and accept audio up to 24/96kHz. With the DacMagic 100 switched to USB Audio 2.0 the DacMagic 100 works with the native Mac
OS-X 10.5 (Leopard) or above Audio 2.0 driver and can accept audio up to
24/192kHz.

Digital Inputs: The DacMagic 100 is fitted with three
rear-panel 24-bit digital inputs; one Optical (toslink), and two Coaxial (RCA).
The optical and coaxial digital inputs allow a wide range of digital source (CD,
DVD, Game Console, etc.) to be connected to the DacMagic 100.

Note: This unit only accepts two-channel LPCM digital audio
(Stereo PCM or Dolby Digital 2.0). You cannot connect a Dolby Digital 5.1 or
a DTS signal, as they will not be recognized. If you wish to connect a DVD
or similar device, please ensure that the sound output of your player is set
to two-channel PCM.

Auto Power Down (APD): The DacMagic 100 has an Auto Power
Down (APD) mode that shuts the unit off after a period of time if the unit isn't
receiving a digital signal. The APD is a requirement in order to comply with
power regulations. The APD can be disabled by pressing and holding the Source
button for 5 seconds.

Power Requirements: The Cambridge Audio DacMagic 100
operates off of standard household AC current, using the supplied AC power
adapter. The external power adapter is separate from the
digital-analog-converter to further improve sound quality. The supplied AC power adapter includes AC power
plug inserts for North America, Europe, and the United Kingdom.

Input: 100-240V~50/60Hz,
0.55A

Output: 12V - 2A

Our Product Research Team

At Crutchfield, you'll get detailed, accurate information that's hard to find elsewhere. That's because we have our own in-house Product Research team. They verify what’s in the box, check the owner's manual, and record dimensions, features and specs. We stay on top of new products and technologies to help people make informed choices.

I didn't know I needed a DAC unit at all! My old Dell laptop PC with a lot of MP3 music files to drive my 1990-era Kenwood stereo system. Until I read Crutchfield's info: "How to choose the best digital-to-analog converter for your home and portable audio systems". I had researched this DAC unit for several days. I chose this unit based on their spec's, Crutchfield/Amazon customer input, ratings, a good price point, and Hogan's consultation in concert for my new Onkyo DXC390 6-CD player.
[ James Mar 08, 2018 ]

The reviews
[ jesus Nov 14, 2017 ]

I chose this product based on good reviews and good price.
[ david Sep 11, 2017 ]

I have other Cambridge electronics and am very happy with them. Also did research and followed reviews. A family member purchased a Dacmagic plus that I was able to audition and finally, I've been very happy with Crutchfield customer service with other purchases. They have never let me down!
[ Peter May 08, 2017 ]

After extensive research, this DAC was what I needed (not too expensive and lot's of great reviews). I bought this from Crutchfield because I they offered great technical assistance (configuration) on the phone before I purchased.
[ RON Feb 25, 2017 ]

online research
[ George Feb 24, 2017 ]

Recommendation from an audio professional
[ John Nov 09, 2016 ]

To get high fidelity from songs on computer
[ Richard Sep 23, 2016 ]

I asked for a recommendation by this company and this is the result.
[ JOHN R Aug 05, 2016 ]

My entire music library is digital but I have audiophile equipment and am passionate about great sound. You must have a DAC to get the sound quality out of your system. For a reasonable price this is a great option, simple to use and has the inputs and outputs most will use. FYI, don't make the mistake of buying a DAC and use standard cabling. I bought a USB cable designed for carrying digital sound.
[ Thad Jan 18, 2017 ]

Hi. It seems that the unit shuts off after a predetermined time. I have to turn it back on manually each time. It will not just stay on 24/7 I know of no way to switch it on or off any other way. Hope this helps.
[ Mark Nov 10, 2018 ]

I have the dac magic plus - I'll try a test to see if mine shuts off automatically, maybe contact Cambridge audio.
[ JOHN F Nov 10, 2018 ]

Run a separate cord and leave it in constantly
[ JOHN F Nov 10, 2018 ]

I have a similar situation and have decided to leave mine powered up since i use my system continually throughout the day.
[ Louis M. Nov 10, 2018 ]

Yes, it would likely be good. The DacMagic gets great reviews, pretty uniformly. I was looking at that DAC & almost bought it, but opted for the Oppo Sonica (with its Sabre DAC chips), so I could stream music, as well. The sound from the CXC transport through the DAC in the Oppo Sonica is fantastic. The Cambridge CXC a great little afffordable transport. Unbeatable, for the cost. The only fault I can find so far is it is limited pretty much to redbook CDs only. I would also advise looking at Schiit DACs.
[ Heath R. Jun 03, 2018 ]

I do have the CXC transport and I have it paired with the CXN Streamer and network player. I think the DAC you are considering will work fine. You can also use it to play music from your computer. Good luck!
[ Eliezer Jun 03, 2018 ]

The optical (S/PDIF) connector on the back of the DAC is very different from ethernet and is used for digital audio connections only. It is not compatible with the ethernet connections on your router/network. However, you can pass an audio signal over ethernet using an adapter such as an RCA to Ethernet or a USB to Ethernet. The latter being more expensive. I successfully transmitted analog audio from an iMac to my receiver in another room using an RCA/Ethernet adapter. Two tips... spend a little extra money for a good adapter and audio cables, AND make sure you set your audio output on the iMac to the highest output (24/192) using the Audio MIDI Setup.
[ Kyle Feb 21, 2017 ]

Dunno. I have it hooked up to a Microsoft Surface playing FLAC files with MusicBee and a US connection. Works great. I'm sure that it would work with mp3 or other formats as well, but I've never tried hooking it into the network. I don't see a CAT5 connector, but there may be another way to hook in to a network.
[ Lawrence Feb 20, 2017 ]

Jim :
Very satisfied with the DAC 100. I have mine hooked up to a $50,000 system which features Mac Intosh electronics and B & W 802 speakers. I don't use Toslink I am up and running with just RCA connections but I am Sure the Toslink would be fine . My preamp is an older model Mac which does not have optical connections. I do mainly classical music and have a over 6000 downloads mostly 16 and 24 K with a few MP3's. I distribute my signals via 2 - I Macs to 2 different systems in my home. I use a Linksys 1900 AC as my wireless. I think I would save the $200 and go with just the DAC 100. I am very happy with what I have.
[ EDMUND J Aug 11, 2016 ]

You will be happier with the DAC magic plus!!
[ RICHARD Aug 08, 2016 ]

My setup is slightly different in that I have the AppleTV hdmi output going into the TV and TV hdmi output into the receiver. But, yes, I can choose whichever output I want on the receiver - the TV or the Digital from DAC - and they both work. I also have stereo and not surround, but I would think your current setup would continue to work. The DAC would just be a separate output choice on your receiver. I found that when going through the DAC there was a a definite improvement in overall sound quality from my mp3s, which are a mix of 256 and 320 downloads/rips. It wasn't overly dramatic and didn't knock my socks off or anything. But they definitely sound noticeably better, especially at increased volume.
[ Bruce Jan 22, 2016 ]

The DACMagic 100 is a very nice little unit. I an't answer your main question, but as to the SACD player, I'm pretty sure you won't be able to get a digital out from a SACD, just the CD 44.1KHz output from the CD layer. Too bad, I have another, pricy DAC that would play the native DSD stream from an SACD if the manufacturers would permit it.
[ Guest Jun 20, 2015 ]

The theory is that the Cambridge DAC is a better one than the one inside your IPod. When you hook the Cambridge to your IPod it bypasses the internal IPod DAC and provides better sound to your amp. I don't use an IPod but I use an ipad that I hook to a Cabridge DAC via a Bluetooth connector. Works great and I like the sound. Just remember, "better sound" is a subjective thing. Try it and return it to Crutchfield if you don't like it.
[ STEWART Jun 03, 2014 ]

I do not believe the iPod shuffle has a digital o/p on the headphone jack. So, no, it would not work.
The Apple airport express has an optical o/p (digital) as well as an analog o/p thru the 'headphone' minijack. It improves sound quality a lot to use an external DAC because the DAC in the Airport Express is not that good!
[ Jeffrey Jun 03, 2014 ]

The USB input is the smaller square one, not the typical flatt-ish rectangular end. So, perhaps if you were clever and had an adaptor of some sort, but not directly methinks.
[ PHILLIP Jun 03, 2014 ]

I have been using the DAC Magic 100 to run my high-quality audio FLAC files from my IPAD through my NAD 355BEE amp and have had excellent results, no loss of great, clear sound.
[ ROBERT S Apr 17, 2014 ]

The DAVID Magic 100 solved all similar issues I was having. I can now burn CD's and create files from Internet music sites. Money well spent.
[ JOHN C Apr 17, 2014 ]

I use mine in my main system, not with a computer. I have noticed no problems with my CD player or my Blu-Ray player - CD through coaxial and Blu-Ray through optical.
[ CHARLES Apr 17, 2014 ]

I have the DacMagic 100 and feed it PCM from TV to integrated amp. I use the TV optical out to the DacMagic.
The volume level is lower from the TV than from CD, tuner, etc, but only slightly so.
Sounds nice and smooth. Hope that helps.
Cheers.
[ MARK Apr 17, 2014 ]

Hi Mark,
What you want to try is a bit more complicated than what I used the DacMagic 100 for. I don't have experience with Airport Express, Toslink, or S/Pdif. I would recommend you chat or talk with someone at Crutchfield about your questions. They've been very helpful to me in the past. Worst case, you can buy the DacMagic 100 and if it doesn't work to your satisfaction, you can return it within 60 days for a refund minus $10 for return shipping.
As an aside, I just returned my Dacmagic 100 simply because it was extremely difficult to hear any improvement in sound quality compared to what natively comes out of my iMac. I could hear a little more extended base through headphone using the DacMagic 100 but that was it. YMMV.
Good luck in what ever you choose!
[ Greg Mar 17, 2014 ]

I too have used the iMac iTunes to airport express to toslink to DacMagic 100 to amps. Unless Apple has done something to improve it, the airport express does not go beyond cd quality rates (44.1 kHz, 16 bit). But I for one find that with well recorded CD's that is adequate for some great sounding music.
But unless I'm missing something, why would you want to do anything but analog from your turntable to amp (with phono stage preamp)?
[ Guest Mar 17, 2014 ]

Yes, that is exactly what I did with my DacMagic 100. It sounds great and is a vast improvement over the audio output by the computer sound card.
[ William Jan 06, 2014 ]

Morgan... To be clear, I have the DACMagic 100 feeding my Pre-Amp which then feeds my Amp(s). I am not sure what you mean by Standard Amp
For my stairs stereo, I have the DACMagic Plus that feeds right into my Amp since my AMP does not have a Preamp built into it. I have my CD player hooked into it as well. FYI, I think Pandora sounds better than CDs.
Apple makes this a snap.. Windows you need to get special drivers.
I hope that helps
[ Welsey Dec 29, 2013 ]

Morgan, I went from my CD player to the DacMagic, and from there to my amp. I used a digital "light" connection from my CD player to the DacMagic, and kept the RCA connection to my integrated amp. Everything else remained the same. The sound is much richer.
[ BLAIN Dec 28, 2013 ]

I have it configured where I have it feeding into a preamp then into my amp. It works great on my apple MAC. You should look at the DACMagic with the built in preamp. $499 at Cruthfield. I have one of them as well. It works great. If you use it with a PC you will need drivers to get the faster stream rate.
[ Welsey Dec 28, 2013 ]

There is no volume control or controls for equalizing it for your system. It would probably work but it is really made for use with a pre amp
[ THOMAS Dec 27, 2013 ]

Absolutely. Gold-plated RCA outputs sends the signal to your amp. Just use really high quality cables(Monster or other) to ensure you're getting a great signal from DAC Magic to your amp.
[ ROBERT S Dec 27, 2013 ]

Yes. That is the correct way to hook-up this component. Take the RCA outs on the DAC to any open input on your receiver (by "amp" , I assume you have a receiver?). DO NOT use a phono input if you have one.
[ KENNETH Dec 27, 2013 ]

Yes!! That is the only way that I use it. I use my old laptop as a music server for my home theater system. I connect the USB cable from my laptop to the DAC and then use gold plated RCA cables (connected to the audio out on the DAC) to the AUX on my Onkyo receiver. I also connected an HDMI cable from my laptop to my flat screen tv to get GraceNote info about the CD or song that I'm playing to display on the screen. To take it a step further I added a wireless mouse to the laptop and can control everything without getting up!!!
The DAC really improved the sound quality, the sound is less mechanical, it sounds like it's suppose to, not like it's computer generated. At least I think so.
Happy listening!
Greg
[ GREGORY V Dec 27, 2013 ]

Morgan, the DAC plugs right into your integrated amp or preamp via standard RCA cables using the auxiliary inputs on the amp. It's a great little device. I have a Sony BluRay DVD player hooked into it using a coax audio cable. Also have a Bluetooth connection device attached using the optical Toslink connection. Nice sound!
[ STEWART Dec 27, 2013 ]

Yes. This is how I have mine configured. PC / USB -> DAC Stereo Connectors -> Standard AMP -> Speakers. I don't even know if there is a headphone option with the DAC.
[ PAUL R Dec 27, 2013 ]

That's how I am using it. My CD player is connected via digital cable to DacMagic. Then the analog outputs of the DacMagic are connected to one of the line inputs in my preamp which is connected to my amp. If you have an integrated amp, the DacMagic is connected to one of the line inputs.
[ CHARLES Dec 27, 2013 ]

Hi Morgan, you can output the signal to a receiver or a preamp to an amp. The DacMagic does not have its own preamp, so you cant go directly into an amp. If you do, you will not be able to adjust the volume. I used mine to take the optical output from my TV and send it to my integrated amp. (Integrated means it has its own preamp with volume control)...
[ DAVID Dec 27, 2013 ]

Hi Morgan -
Yes, you can definitely do that - in fact, that's how my system is configured. I can't look at the moment to see what all of the connection options are, but I'm using a standard audio cable.
This is a nice unit, and you'll hear the difference. The only watch-out is that it shuts itself off after some amount of idle time, so you need to be able to access the front to turn it back on next time you want to use it. You can't bury it and forget it.
[ AMY L Dec 27, 2013 ]

Definitely. I have an Apple TV gen 3 connected to the DacMagic through an optical cable. From there, I connect RCA cables to a Pioneer Elite 2-Channel amplifier that go to 2 different sets of in ceiling speakers. Works perfectly.
[ Mitchell Dec 27, 2013 ]

Yes, this will improve your overall sound. Make sure your RCA cables are of high quality from the Dac 100 outfput to your amp or receiver or integrated amp input
[ Stephen Dec 15, 2017 ]

I can't give you a definitive answer, because I don't fully understand what you mean by "optical audio cable". What kind of cable is it; video + audio (e.g. HDMI)? If it's an HDMI cable you will need to separate the video component from the audio component via an adapter. Then you should be able to feed just the audio component into the Cambridge DAC and convert the sound from digital to analog, which can then go to a traditional stereo amplifier. To be safe you'd better seek advice from Crutchfield specialists before you make assumptions that might damage your Cambridge DAC.
[ E S Dec 15, 2017 ]

Hi.
I think I might have your answer or solution.
Do you have an A/V receiver? I if you do, I would connect your audio jacks from your DAC magic 100 to your receiver. Then use your downloaded music on your lap top computer. By doing this, you must connect the usb connecter from your computer your the DAC. This get 192khz, you have to download software from the Cambridge Audio website. This is how I have mine hooked up. Hope this helps.
[ BRIAN Feb 24, 2014 ]

E'lauren
I run my music straight from my iMac back into the Cambridge DAC Magic. So it's USB out to the DAC then optical cable to my receiver and oxygen free copper cables back to the DAC Magic. You can use any sort of computer-based music library, iTunes certainly works. I have a eliminated CDs altogether and taken my changers out of my system loop so I just loaded everything from CDs into my iMac music library.
You should See an up convert to 96. You won't see 192 unless you're buying a high-resolution music file like an HDTracks. You should see a significant increase in Fidelity using this kind of process. The key is you need to make sure that you bypass the DAC and you were receiver or CD changer.
Try running from your laptop or desktop into the DAC and then out to receiver and see if that doesn't make a significant difference for you.
[ JOHN L Feb 20, 2014 ]

It is possible the DACs in your Onkyo DVD player are already of high quality, so adding an external DAC will might not result in improved fidelity. Also the ability to actually hear any difference would depend on the quality of the rest of your system (amplifiers, speakers, etc). Often you need really hi end stuff (esp speakers) before you *think* you can hear a difference.
As for the DAC staying at 44.1, that is not up to the DAC but rather the media you are playing. Audio CD's are only encoded at 44.1 and therefore the DVD player is only going to send a 44.1 signal to the DAC (and that is what the DAC will show). You might be able get higher sampling rate from a DVD-Audio disc if your DVD player is compatible, likely 48kHz or 96kHz.
I use my DacMagic 100 to play downloaded HD music from a PC via USB. This music is usually sampled in 24bit and 96kHz or 192 kHz and almost always sounds better than CDs of the same performances Also the DacMagic 100 is much better than the audio out on the PC which usually have very low quality DACs.
[ FRANKLIN Feb 20, 2014 ]

I think it's set to process standard CD's at 44.1. So far I am very happy with mine. I notice a deffinete improvement in bass responce. It will not prossess SACD'S, so I process those through my Marantz universal player. What it is really good at is processing downloaded misic. I have I-Tunes, so I use my computer as a music player. The downloads sound as good as any origional CD.
[ THOMAS R Feb 18, 2014 ]

cd rate is standard at 16/44.1, so no increase in quality their. the Cambridge DAC will convert the dig to ani better than without, but you can't hear the difference.
try this and discuss with folks. I ripped all my cd's into "Apple Lossless" (many other formats to choose but Apple Lossless is very universal and is free and works great). when ripping, rip to the increased bit rate 24/196.....then when you play the tracks from your PC hard drive thru the DAC via a USB A-B cable, you will be up-sampling to the highest rate and you WILL hear a difference. the sound opens up and becomes warm, sort of like vinyl.
easy to do but takes hours of time ripping the cd's.....well worth it. you also end up with a huge library that you can play tracks any way you want...flexible.
good luck.
[ michael Feb 18, 2014 ]

All standard CDs play at 44.1k so the Cambridge should show 44.1k when playing CDs. In order to get 192k resolution you will have to buy high rez downloads at online stores such as HDTracks. When playing back these high rez files from your PC the DAC will light up 192k.
If you are using Windows you will need to download the driver for the Cambridge DAC at Cambridge Audio website.
If you use windows 7, then download driver 1.43
Windows will not play files at 192k without the driver.
If you use an Apple PC then no driver is needed but I do not think Apple will play 192k files, but I can be wrong about that.
So you cannot get standard CDs to play any higher than 44.1k, you must purchase high rez files to get music at higher frequency than 44.1k.
HDTracks will let you download high rez files in AIFF, ALAC. FLAC or WAV formats from 96k up to 192k.
[ JERRY Feb 18, 2014 ]

Hey,
Chances are this DAC is better than the one with your Onkyo. However, it may not be. If your are feeding it cd's, the rate is 44.1. Set your DAC to take the digital output from your Onkyo into the Dacmagic, and then set the analog outputs from the DAC to your speakers and/or amp. BTW, all CD's and DVD's have a DAC built in. If you use the digital output from your DVD player and input it into a home theater receiver (for example) the DAC in the receiver will be used to convert to analog. But sooner or later, the digital to will be converted to analog. Whether your optical drive does it, your DAC does it, or your HT receiver does it.
[ JACK Feb 18, 2014 ]

Couple questions and some guidance.
Standard CDs are all sampled at 44.1 - you will not see the rate go up to 192 etc. for a CD source. Can you share how you are connecting the DVD player to the DAC and then how you are connecting your DAC to amplifier. Also, what is the brand and model number of your amp?
Finally, what problem are you trying to solve? Confused by "increasing the frequency and sound" is something not working or sounding poorly?
Be patient right now for a little bit - the DAC Magic is an excellent DAC.
[ CHRIS Feb 18, 2014 ]

CD's are all encoded at 44.1. To utilize a higher sample rate you have to use a higher resolution format such as audiophile music downloads or SACD.
[ JOHN F Feb 18, 2014 ]